Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 6, NWS North Platte, NE

June 24, 1987Madison County, Pierce County, Nebraska

NWS North Platte, NE issued this tornado warning at Jun 24, 1987, 4:58 PM CDT for Madison County, Pierce County, Nebraska. It was in force for 32 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 24, 1987, 4:58 PM CDT (21:58 UTC)
Expired
Jun 24, 1987, 5:30 PM CDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS North Platte, NE
Area
Whole counties

Counties Madison County, NE, Pierce County, NE

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 24, 5:00 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Madison, NE
Jun 24, 5:35 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Pierce, NE

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Omaha, NE (KOAX), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 133 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1987-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Omaha, NE at 12:00Z on 1987-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 37 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3614 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
20 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
37 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
52 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KOFK 242158
TOROFK
NEC119-139-242230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORFOLK NE
458 PM CDT WED JUN 24 1987

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM CDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF

NORTHEAST NEBRASKA...NORTHERN MADISON AND PIERCE

AT 450 PM CDT A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS REPORTED 7 TO 10 MILES WEST OF
PIERCE IN SOUTHWEST PIERCE COUNTY...THIS IS 15 MILES NORTHWEST OF
NORFOLK.  RADAR CONTINUED TO INDICATE A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
THAT EXTENDED FROM 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF NORFOLK TO 35 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF NORFOLK.  THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING TO THE
EAST AT 25 MPH.Z

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO SHOULD GO TO A BASEMENT SHELTER
IF POSSIBLE...OTHERWISE GO TO A CENTRAL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 24, 1:34 PM CDT, 3 hours 24 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
130 PM CDT WED JUN 24 1987

AT 120 PM CDT...WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE
DEVELOPED OVER PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.
THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE EAST OF A LINE FROM MCCOOK
NEBRASKA OR 60 MILES SOUTH OF NORTH PLATTE TO MULLEN NEBRASKA OR
55 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF NORTH PLATTE.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF MULLEN NEBRASKA
AND WESTERN CUSTER COUNTY NEBRASKA.

COFFIN 241834
HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN DURING
THE EARLY MORNING HOURS.

MEYER
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 2:16 PM CDT, 2 hours 42 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
214 PM CDT WED JUN 24 1987

AT 210 PM CDT...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOPE OVER SOUTHWEST
AND NORTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE EAST OF A LINE FROM
20 MILES WEST OF IMPERIAL NEBRASKA TO 45 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VALENTINE
NEBRASKA.

THE HEAVIEST THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN A LINE FROM 20 MILES WEST OF NORTH
PLATTE NEBRASKA TO THE NORTH END OF THE LINE.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 30 MPH.

HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE
THUNDERSTORMS.

COFFIN 241916
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 3:23 PM CDT, 1 hour 35 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
320 PM CDT WED JUN 24 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL
700 PM CDT...

A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST
AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS AFTERNOON.

AT 310 PM CDT A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED FROM
NORTH CENTRAL CUSTER COUNTY OF CENTRAL NEBRASKA EXTENDING THROUGH
LINCOLN COUNTY INTO HAYES AND CHASE COUNTIES ALL OF SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.

THE STRONGEST STORM WAS 10 MILES WEST OF WELLFLEET NEBRASKA IN SOUTH
CENTRAL LINCOLN COUNTY OR ABOUT 30 MILES SOUTH OF NORTH PLATTE NEBRASKA.
ALL THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.
CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO DEVELOPMENT.  PERSONS IN
SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA SHOULD LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMNTS AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Jun 24, 4:45 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTH PLATTE NE
440 PM CDT WED JUN 24 1987

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST AND
CENTRAL NEBRASKA UNTIL 700 PM CDT...

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH FRONTIER COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

AT 435 PM CDT A LINE OF VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED ACROSS
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA.  THE STRONGEST STORM IN THIS LINE WAS JUST WEST
OF STOCKVILLE NEBRASKA IN CENTRAL FRONTIER COUNTY.  THAT WOULD PUT
THIS VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF NORTH
PLATTE NEBRASKA.  THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 35
MPH.

PERSONS IN SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA CAN EXPECT SOME
HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS AS THIS LINE
OF THUNDERSTORMS MOVES ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL NEBRASKA THIS
AFTERNOON.

CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVERABLE FOR TORNADOS IN THE VICINTIY OF THIS LINE
OF THUNDERSTORMS.  PEOPLE SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR SUDDEN CHANGEKS IN
THE WEATHER AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

MEYER

The office that day

Everything else NWS North Platte, NE issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 24, 3:38 PM CDTTornado WarningLBFFrontier52 min
Jun 24, 3:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFAntelope43 min
Jun 24, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFAntelope, Boone58 min
Jun 24, 4:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFKnox58 min
Jun 24, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLBFMadison, Pierce, Stanton, Wayne32 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Nebraska, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes in 1987

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.